Conference 4 & 5 March 2016 Zurich SWITZERLAND Concept by FOA-FLUX foa-flux.net Julia Weber Alumni, researcher ZHdK Build Up buildup.org

Organized by FOA-FLUX foa-flux.net & Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK): Master Transdisciplinary Studies, Connecting Spaces Hong Kong—Zurich, Master Fine Arts ZHdK, zhdk.ch, trans.zhdk.ch, connectingspaces.ch, masterfinearts.zhdk.ch

Booklet@foa-flux by FOA-FLUX 2015 CoverISBN images ... Front: fb Chingchun Warehouse Hong Kong Action Inside: Jatiwangi art Factory Back: foa-flux.net Art Venues Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) Toni-Areal, Pfingstweidstrasse 96 8005 Zurich / Switzerland

Meeting point both days: -> Toni Entrance Hall 10:45 in front of the Cafe

Worshops & Presentations -> Kunstraum Toni Room 5.K12, which is level 5 Friday, 4 March, 11 am—4 pm Saturday, 5 March, 11 am—6 pm

N  Richtung Bahnhof Altstetten

Bahnviadukt 17  4 Tramhaltestelle Anlieferung West //event Exhibition Toni-Areal -> Gallery 1 & 2 Musikklub Toni Room 4.K13, which is level 4 Rampe Friday, 4 March, 4—6 pm Eingang Bistro Eingang Förrlibuckstrasse Wohnen Pfingstweidstrasse

Einfahrt TONI-AREAL TURM Films Parking -> Kino Toni Eingang Pfingstweidstrasse Duttweilerstrasse Toni Room 3.G02, which is level 3 Anlieferung Ost Annex Förrlibuckstrasse Friday, 4 March, 6—10:30 pm Saturday, 5 March, 6—10:30 pm Duttweilerstrasse

 Richtung Bahnhof Hardbrücke/Zürich HB

Toni-Areal 140407 THE ROLE OF ARTISTS AND ART STRATEGIES IN CIVIC EMPOWERMENT AND TRANS- FORMATION PROCESSES.

Image Wooferten, leechunfung.blogspot.com image

THE CONFERENCE

The conference brings together artists, community and peace building workers, scholars and (art) students. The conference provides a platform for sharing experience, ideas, and knowledge on using art strategies as key factors in their civic empowerment and transformation projects. The artist’s role and artistic strategies are reflected in relation to the social, cultural and individual transformational objectives and from practical and theoretical points of view. Key to the conference are the issues and questions that come up in these projects. They will be put forward in presentations and discussion workshops, and synthesized in plenary sessions. Image foa-flux.net THE CONFERENCE TOPIC

In recent years there has been a growing We are using the term ACTION ART as a interest in topics connected with art, civic sub-section of ACTION RESEARCH to descri- empowerment and transformation proces- be this phenomenon. This term and research ses. Art groups, networks and movements field equally include perspectives and metho- across the world are increasingly fostering dological groundings in art practice and involvement in a direct relationship with their theory discussions. By examining these arti- surroundings, and as such play an active part stic civic empowerment and transformation in the ongoing political, social and cultural projects in relation to the scholarly ACTION transformation processes. The conference RESEARCH, we will gain an in-depth under- invites artists and other stakeholders who are standing of the agenda and value of these actively engaged in such processes to share projects. We are especially interested in how their experiences. artists and the involved groups connect their individual perspectives and goals, and how they benefit from each other. ART & SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS

Challenges? Advantages? Reach? Limits? Role of Art? CHECKLIST: PROJECT ANALYSES

Direct information on the projects and obser- vation of the presentations:

Founders, Agents? Forms of action? (Presenter?) WHO? Participation? Data/narration/ Relationships? HOW? visuals? WHAT? Effects, Impacts? Communities, WHAT FOR? groups involved? Sustainability? Artists, non-artists? Ethical issues? FOR WHOM? Maya Minder FOOD-ART www.mayaminder.tk

Maya Minder is a curator and artist based in Zurich. Her vision is embedded in enabling dialogues between people. Searching for possible exchanges, she employs curious pragmatism and rational awareness as intuitive tools to research collective narratives.

Milena Schneider FOOD-ART www.applied-theatre.org

Milena Schneider is a Swiss-Italian cook and activist from Zurich City who flirts with the art scene. She studied Dance Pedagogy at GDS in Basel, while she never lost her passi- on for gastronomy. With her catering “Mi-

Image mimiskitchen.ch mi’s Kitchen” she cooks for several festivals Menus Friday 4 March like “Stromereien”, “Zürich tanzt“, “Zürichs Margehrita & Giovanni in Love moves” or for art openings, for example at Minestrone, home-made foccaccia and salad. “Tanzhaus Zürich“, “ZHdK” or “Galerie Frey- mond-Guth”. Swiss realm lost in Seoul Jaepchae; Seaweeds–cucumber salad, kimchee, rice, and lukewarm Korean noodles– Mimis Kitchen http://mimiskitchen.ch vegetables salad.

Since 2011 Milena owns her catering service Menus Saturday 5 March “Mimi’s Kitchen” and often works in colla- Shouf shouf Habibi boration with art projects. She is amazed by Vegetable tajin with almonds and dried fruit, the possibilities of interlinking cooking and cinnamon harissa, tahini-yogurt and salad. art. She is inspired by her Italian roots, Mexi- can family background and the diversity of I stumbled over your naked feet at the goa life. Her motivation is the fact that food can beach overcome borders and bring together peop- Okracurry with paneer, daal, raita, Basmati le regardless of nationality and interests. rice, and salad. Dessert: Pistachio and chocolate cake. Julius Heinicke WORKSHOP www.applied-theatre.org

Julius Heinicke studied Culture and Theatre at Humboldt University in Berlin. In 2012, Julius defended his PhD-thesis on Theatre and Poli- tics in Zimbabwe at the Department of African Studies. In the last years, Julius spent time researching and teaching as well as working as a dramatic advisor in performance projects and in theatre in education, mainly in Africa and Europe.

Image Julius Heinicke Generating Transcultural Spaces in Notes Creating Amorphous Aesthetics WORKSHOP by Julius Heinicke

The arts are often used to create spaces for inter- and transcultural reflections and stra- tegies of empowerment. Especially since the 1970ies, a lot of so called “multikulti” projects – for instance on theatre in education – have found new ways to (re)present and bring to- gether different cultural traditions. However, the post-colonial critique argues that these projects are often “directed” by European and Western concepts of aesthetics, which dominate or even suppress other cultural forms. The workshop will ask the participants to experiment on this background by creating performance techniques of action art that transfer or build a transcultural space. Daria Zavodskaia VISUAL NOTE

Daria Zavodskaia was born in Abkhazia. She began her studies in the field of history and theory of culture and art at the Saratov State University (Russia). During her studies, she developed an interest in cultural contacts bet- ween Abkhazia and Russia. She continued to study at Zurich University of Art.

Image Daria Zavodskaia Craft as art VISUAL NOTE by Daria Zavodskaia Notes

The idea of this video comes from an attempt to understand the difference of two notions - "craft“ and "art“—and where it comes from.. M.P. Leung PRESENTATION www.lmp.hk

Leung Mee-ping received her BFA from L’Eco- le Nationale Superieure des Beaux-Arts a Paris, France and her MFA from the California Insti- tute of the Arts, LA, U.S.A. She was awarded her PhD at the Chinese University of Hong Kong. Her creative practice includes installa- tion, mixed media, public art and community art. Research-based practicing leeds her to experimental interaction and integration. Her works integrates elements and platforms of theatre, design, commercial space and social space in order to extend performance or ac- tion; those can be read as issue-based creati- vity. Closely intertwined with her theoretical research area of visual culture and globaliza- tion are her concerns with ethics, community and memories of the human living situation. Image M.P. Leung, Out of Place 2005—2015 Art as an interaction—MOCA in Donjiu Notes Island PRESENTATION by M . P. L e u n g

Donjiu Island is a tiny island in Taiwan. Taiwan made it a crucial political and strategical foo- thold possessing many evidences about the history of point duty until now. After decades, the cross-strait relations between Mainland China and Taiwan have been alleviated and the strategic role of Donjiu has also faded gradu- ally, resulting in people forgetting the island. Hong Kong artists came to this sparsely popu- lated island in April, 2014. They focused on the functions of art as a form of education and a way to enable viewers’ re-examination of their outlooks on island life. The community acti- vely engages in the discussion of issues such as civil awareness, community life, and cultural capital by launching various creative projects, coalitions, and actions. Ginggi Syarief Hasyim & Ismal Muntaha PRESENTATION fb Jatiwangi art Factory

Ginggi Syarief Hasyim (1971, Jatiwangi, Indone- sia) is a cross-disciplinary artist and Founder of Jatiwangi Art Factory, a not-for-profit organiz- ation that focuses on discourses of local rural life through arts and cultural activities . He has participated in a wide series of art projects and international exhibitions. He lives and works in Jatiwangi.

Ismal Muntaha studied journalism and communication at the Islamic University in Bandung (Indonesia). He is an interdisciplinary artist and researcher at Jatiwangi art Factory, and also the founder of the Sunday Screen Video Collective in Bandung. Currently Ismal Muntaha is initiating a Research Centre of Clay Image fb Jatiwangi art Factory Notes Culture with JaF. Munthaha’s work was shown in many art spaces and festivals in Indonesia.

Mother Place PRESENTATION by Ginggi Syarief Hasyim & Ismal Muntaha

Jatwangi art Factory was built in 2005. Anyone who lives there is a part of the family. In this place the arts and everyday life find a com- mon ground - not in a fixed form, but in relati- onships between humans and between hum- ans and their ecologies and homes. Jatwangi art Factory experiments with different for- mats: festivals, art projects, discussion forums, exhibitions, music and community media. Ide- ally, the audience learns to construct, re- and deconstruct their own social capital through collective activism and the democratization of information. Lee Chun Fung PRESENTATION leechunfung.blogspot.com

Lee Chun Fung is an artist and curator based in Hong Kong. He graduated from the Chinese University of Hong Kong’s Fine Arts Depart- ment in 2007. His artistic interests include: art activism, urban space, autonomous self-orga- nized practice, and independent publishing. His practices cover different media and discip- lines, ranging from art action, video, photogra- phy, zine-publishing, workshops, writing, and curating.

Image leechunfung.blogspot.com Recalling the Past, Connecting Tomorrow Notes PRESENTATION by Lee Chun Fung

On the 4th of June in 1989 almost 1 million Hong Kong people (around 1/6 of the populati- on) took to the streets, expressing the voice of democracy. Beijing’s democratic movement shocked an entire generation in China, it had an impact on the democratic awaking of the English–colonized Hong Kong. Since then, a candlelight assembly with around 150 thous- ands citizens is held in Hong Kong every year. It is also the biggest memorial event to the Tiananmen massacre in all of China‘s society. Lee presents art projects he organized and participated in recent years, regarding the issues of 1989’s democratic movement. One example is f.e P-at-riot : June 4th Cultural Festi- val of post-80s generation, a campaign aiming at connecting the young generation to the history of Tiananmen massacre. Ivana Livia Lakic PRESENTATION living-museum.com

Ivana Livia Lakic is an artist and social scientist. She holds an BA in ethnology and is studying Fine Arts at ZHdK and ethnology at the Uni- versity of Zurich. She is an Artist-in-Residence at Atelier Living Museum Wil (Switzerland).

Image living-museum.com Notes Living Museum PRESENTATION by Ivana Lakic

Living Museum is by its own definition an art - asylum for people with ‘mental impair- ment’, a museum for contemporary art, a center for social networks and a meeting point. Ivana will introduce the Living Muse- um by discussing an exemplary project em- bedded in the annual exhibition of 2015 titled “Irritationen”, a “heraldic cyborg” project to which around 25 artists contributed. The work consists of 23 flags referring to Wil’s historical abbot’s emblems. Him Lo //event EXHIBITION and PRESENTATION himlo.com fb: chingchun warehouse, Mr Lung‘s wood workshop

Him Lo is a performance artist, painter, illust- rator, and curator. He co-founded and co-runs the Chingchun Warehouse and Mr. Lung’s Woodworkshop. He is also the director of Hong Kong House of Stories. Him Lo received his MA Cultural Studies from Lingnan Uni- versity Hong Kong, a BA Fine Art from RMIT University Hong Kong and a BA in Illustration from Middlesex University London. His work focuses on activating possibilities, aiming at changing living conditions and leaving a mark in reality. He uses artistic strategies, empathy, and his profound knowledge on bottom-up strategies and on how to connect people. In recent years he has (co-)run many art projects to initiate social transformation processes in Notes Hong Kong. Whilst focusing on empower- ment, sharing and understanding, he is also interested in personal and public memories and how to alter or keep these alive.

{the mind map - living together} empowerment | sharing | understanding

//event EXHIBITION by Him Lo

The exhibition at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) has been organized by FOA- FLUX and Connecting Spaces Hong Kong— Zurich. Some of the images shown reflect collaborative artistic work based on his in-depth experiences. They reflect the many dynamics at work when connecting people through using artistic and empowerment strategies. His video “Invisible Marks” talks about personal experiences and expecta- tions. Notes Communication PRESENTATION by Him Lo

I like painting , I like sculpture, I like to deli- line, form, colour or proportion now . It is ver my feeling through different art forms. I empowerment, sharing, and understanding. still think that this is the best thing I learned in my life until now. I think it would be nice for more people to experience this process. What does art mean? For me it is not just a painting, not just a sculpture , it is something that can show you the direction to discover yourself. So I jump into a new art form: soci- ally engaged art. I am not "the“ Artist anymo- re, I don‘t use a brush, I don‘t use a hammer, what I use is communication. I need to talk, I need to understand myself through other people. It’s not a painting, it’s not a sculpture, it’s a platform built by a group of people and this platform allows more people to experi- ence the process of making art. It is not just ACTIVATING POSSIBILITIES. ART, COMMUNITY, COLLABORATION.

FORTHCOMING PUBLICATION edited by Him Lo and Dominique Lämmli The publication will be downloadable from foa-flux.net/activating-possibilities

The forthcoming publication reflects some of Him Lo‘s recent projects in Hong Kong. Project overviews reflect his use of art, sports and communication to make peop- le think about their living conditions and to start shaping their realities. Texts by Annemarie Bucher, Lee Chun Fung, and Dominique Lämmli put Him Lo‘s impres- sive work in broader contexts: collaborative painting as a research tool, Contemporary Art discourses, linkage to glocal context and questions of resistance. ART in ACTION FORTHCOMING PUBLICATION edited by Annemarie Bucher and Dominique Lämmli The publication will be downloadable from foa-flux.net/art-in-action-publication

FOA-FLUX has been working on Art in Action as part of its research on functions of art in global contexts since 2008. In 2014 and 2015 some projects have been part of Connecting Spaces Hong Kong—Zurich. This collection of documents includes articles, transcriptions of discussion rounds and presentations, images of exhibitions and information on examp- lary socially engaged artist groups. Texts by Annemarie Bucher, Meera Curam & Talitha Roberts, Chantal Wong, Nkule Mabaso, Grace Samboh, Rada Leu, among others. The events took place at the Hong Kong Arts Centre, Connecting Space Hong Kong and Museum Bärengasse Zurich. PITT STREET FILM by Him Lo & Lee Chun Fung In Cantonese, with Chinese and English subtitles 2015/Hong Kong/DVD/40min/Colour

At midnight on the 7th of June 1989, a few days after the Tiananmen massacre at Beijing, a riot took place at Pitt Street in Yau Ma Tei, Hong Kong. After this riot, public memorial events, with an expected 1.5 million visitors, were canceled. It is said that the riot was started by the Chinese government for this reason. Nonetheless, HK sees big memorial events of the massacre until this day, 25 years later. "Pitt Street Riot“ is an action theater based on the documents and oral history collected from the Yau Ma Tei neighborhood. The theatre consists of three storylines – A left-winged old man brushing past the ‘riot’; two lovers missing out on a date, because of the riot, and a secondary school student who Image Pittstreetriot.blogspot.com, photo: Manson Wong tries to start an action in school to support the movement. Benny Chan PREMIERE FILM

Benny CHAN Yin-Kai has been making documentaries and holding video education workshops since he was in university. He was a member of v-artivist from 2007–2014, an art group in Hong Kong.

Filmography and awards Raging Land: A Record of Choi Yuen Village, DV 80 Min, 2009; Raging Land 2: Breaking New Ground Through Thorns And Thistles, DV 120 min, 2010; Raging Land 3: Three Valleys, DV 310 min, 2011; Award of Excellen- ce, Yamagata International Documentary Film Festival, 2013; Raging Land 4: The Way to the Village 2015 DV 90 min. The Agro-way—­ New Youth On Farming Notes PREMIERE FILM by Benny Chan 2016, DV, 200 min

This documentary project covers the situa- tion of Hong Kong‘s new organic farmers. Taiwan and Japan are also covered in order to see how different experience can be sha- red with Hong Kong. It is his latest feature-length documentary. Ibra Seck Cassis PRESENTATION cassis.mondoblog.org echos2rues.com

Ibra Seck Cassis is a journalist, hip-hop artist and screenwriter. With the emergence of new techno- logies, he became an activist 2.0. He is a founding member of “Rufisque Tech Hub” (a social innovation in community building), a blogger for cassis.monoblog.org, and a writer for the citizen-oriented media echos2rues.com. A manager for a variety of community causes, he is also the administrator of a number of social media forums. Ibra Seck Cassis ou l’activiste 2.0 Notes PRESENTATION by Ibra Seck Cassis

A professional journalist since more than four years, he is also pursuing activism 2.0. The emergence of new technologies led him to become a professional blogger. Naveen Mahantesh PRESENTATION in absentia by www.ecologiesoftheexcess.wordpress.com

Naveen Mahantesh is the principal architect of CRESARC, whose practice lies at the intersection of art, architecture & the city. His projects provide alternate perspectives for the banal routines, eulogise urban myths & engage the ecologies that the city thrives upon. Exhibitions- Sarai Reader Exhibiti- on’09(2013)&Insert(2014)-curated by Raqs media collective Conferences- Mediating Modernities-Srushti School of Design(2013) & FOA-FLUX Symposium(2015) Grants- KHOJ(2013) & IFA Project560(2014) Fel- lowships- City as Studio(2013)-Sarai-CSDS & Curator for Students Biennale,Kochi Muziris Biennale(2016) Recent Talks - WPA:Washing- ton DC,The department of Cultural Affairs for Arlington County &ISCP-NYC(2015). Image Artist: Raghu Wodeyar Smart—the new local? Notes PRESENTATION in absentia by Naveen Mahantesh

“1909 Theorem, The skyscraper as an uto- design informed by physical topographies to pian device for the production of unlimited accommodate the instinctive human tenden- virgin sites on a single metropolitan loca- cies to navigate the virtual topography of tion.”[1] The internet in the 21st Century cell phone and wifi networks? [1] - S,M,L,XL accommodates infinity at the finger tip. The omnipresence of the internet allows the click of a button to be translated into a following, an opinion, a support, a retort or a tangib- le social gesture. Scrolling is a method of looking around and clicking is a method to select. A kid with a mobile phone is assured to remain within the radius of the wifi signal and cell phone users gravitate to places with “good network”. A bench in an airport with good wifi signal will gather more people than a bench without. How can architects and planners shift from traditional spatial Majid Abbasi Farahani PRESENTATION in absentia

Majid Abbasi Farahani lives in Iran. After studying architecture he has been focusing on art, and held his first solo exhibition in 2004. Since then, Majid has had numerous solo and group exhibitions in Iran, as well as around the world, such as in Italy and South America, England, and Kuwait. In addition, he has been a longstanding member of the Society of Iranian Painters. Majid Abbasi Farahani is the founder and director of CP Biennal.

Image Honaronline.ir, photo: Mohammad Khodabakhsh CP Biennale & Farahan art week project Notes PRESENTATION in absentia by Majid Abbasi Farahani cpbiennale.com

In recent years, uncontrolled migration of people from villages to larger cities caused empty villages. FARAHAN ART WEEK aims at bringing attention to rebuilding these villages and making them more attractive to live in. The first FARAHAN ART WEEK took place in 2013. Artists and residents join in the rebuil- ding of these places. Mahroo Movahedi PRESENTATION www.Mahroo-Movahedi.kleio.com

Mahroo Movahedi is a visual artist from Is- fahan, Iran. She received her BFA and MFA from Iran and MA Transdisciplinary Studies at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) Switzer- land. Mahroo Movahedi explores themes of culture, landscape, and language questioning the notion of identity, the sense of belonging and sense of loss. She engages with the re- presentation(s) of self and other through the lens of her experience of living in and between different spaces, cultures and languages. She has been participating and exhibiting in several solo and group exhibitions.

Artwork by street artist mahdi ghadyanlo, Tehran, Iran Investigation of mural evolution in Tehran Notes PRESENTATION by Mahroo Movahedi

Murals have long been a part of Tehran’s urban framework. Traditionally, blank walls were a canvas for governments to demons- trate their messages and to control public life. Nowadays, in Tehran many walls and surfaces are covered with writings, colourful images as graffitis murals, stencil and sticker works that are not approved by the government. Their contents and their positioning have changed dramatically over time: Today murals in the pu- blic sphere perform a vital and powerful role in ideological, economic, social and cultural change which are the main concerns of the new generation. Füsun Ipek PRESENTATION cargocollective.com/fusunipek urbanseries.org waschmaschinegruppe.com

Füsun Ipek is an artist, activist and art-theorist. She is interested in the connection between aesthetic values and social engagement. She holds an MA and BA in Art Theory and Aes- thetics (ELTE, Budapest) and is studying Fine Arts at University of the Arts in Zurich.

Image Füsun Ipek Notes Does art matter? PRESENTATION by Ipek Füsun

Füsun gives an overview of art related critical actions made in Budapest - from the cycling movement through radical political actions to oral-history based community projects. For instance, she explains the changes of a mural painting’s meaning, and how it is turned into a decorative element in a newly gentrified area. Or how a totally illegal street-art action’s press release ends up with long days of non-removal in the middle of the city. Kristin Flade PRESENTATION applied-theatre.org recording-ghosts.blogspot.com zeitbanditen.com

Kristin Flade is a writer and a PhD student at Freie Universität Berlin. Her PhD project inves- tigates applied theatre and politically engaged artistic practices in the Palestinian and Israeli societies. Kristin is conducting her research within the European Research Council project The Aesthetics of Applied Theatre under the direction of Matthias Warstat.

Image Participants of the 2015 Freedom Ride look onto the Israeli settlement of Modi’in Illit that is being built on Palestinian village lands. Notes Mobilising Solidarities and Civic Engagement Here and There PRESENTATION by Kristin Flade

For a number of years, The Freedom The- atre of the refugee camp in Jenin has been organising an annual Freedom Ride, bringing together a group of Palestinians and interna- tional guests for solidarity stays and Playback Theatre performances throughout Palestine. The presentation examines the Freedom Ride in 2015: Which aesthetic strategies are emplo- yed to create affective and effective political commons over the time of the ride? How temporary are such ties and transformations? Which tactics are being used to mobilise soli- darities and civic engagements in the partici- pants from here and there? Yamu Wang VISUAL NOTE blog.fotomuseum.ch/2015/10/i-photo-forensics-from-stalin-to- oprah/#more-2607

Yamu Wang holds a double BA degree in literature and is studying media art at Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK).

http://www.news.ch/Thomas+Hirschhorn+entwirft+- Schweizer+Briefmarke/487277/detail.htm Case Study: Thomas Hirschhornian Notes VISUAL NOTE by Yamu Wang

Her contribution, “A Case Study on the Thomas Hirschhornian” is an unfinished ex- periment made for the final presentation of the one-week seminar “Why Art, Which Art, Whose Art.” In this piece she, as a producer, tries to find a position functioning in the art system. Angela Melitopoulos FILM Angela Anderson FILM & PRESENTATION kunstakademiet.dk/en/schools-and-institutes/school- angelaolgaanderson.wordpress.com media-arts Angela Anderson has worked in video art Angela Melitopoulos has been working with and film since 2006, producing multi-chan- electronic media since 1986, creating expe- nel installations, sound pieces, and filmic rimental single-channel tapes, video instal- works which trespass the borders of fiction lations, video-essays and documentaries. and documentary, often in collaboration with Melitopoulos’ videos and installations were other artists. Her work focuses on the fields of awarded and shown in many international economics, ecology, migration, and feminist/ festivals, exhibitions and museums. Her work queer theory, as well as the potential of au- is often based on research and collaboration dio-visual media to open up new lines of flight. with other knowledge spheres like sociolo- Since 2009 she has worked as the exhibition gy, politics and theory. She is a Professor for designer for Forum Expanded at the Berlin Media Art at the Royal Danish Academy of International Film Festival. She holds an MA in Fine Arts in Copenhagen. Film and Media Studies from the New School and a BA in Economics and Latin Amercian Studies from the University of Minnesota. Unearthing Disaster I & II and Radio Schizoanalytique – interventions into the sensory field of crisis capitalism PRESENTATION and FILM by Angela Anderson & Ange- la Melitopoulos

Unearthing Disaster I, 37‘ vimeo.com/channels/restlessminds

Unearthing Disaster II, 26‘ vimeo.com/145769933 pw: halkidiki

radio-schizoanalytique.net

The videos "Unearthing Disaster I & II“ bring us to Halkidiki in Northern Greece, the site of an on-going grassroots struggle against the construction of a large-scale open-pit gold mine by a Canadian mining compa- ny which is emblematic of the exploitative power relations existing within the European Union. While the two films have been shown

Image Angela Anderson Notes in the contexts of exhibitions and lectures, the raw video footage has been used by the local activists for their for their online me- dia campaign. Anderson and Melitopoulos have also set up a radio – Radio Schizoana- lytique - with the activists from the village of Megali Panagia, one of the villages closest to the mine. Radio Schizoanalytique was initiated as a way of breaking the pro-mining media hegemony in the region as well as to encourage a different kind of dialogue to emerge between the local activists. Veli & Amos WORKSHOP veli-amos.net

Veli Silver studied painting at the Academy of Fine Arts, Ljubljana and the Faculty of Fine Arts, Porto.

Amos Angeles studied Architecture the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, Zurich and holds a BA of at the Zurich University of the Arts.

Veli & Amos have been working as a duo since 2008. Their work has been shown at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Ljubljana; Kiasma, Helsinki; Rotor Gallery, Graz; HVW8 Gallery, Los Angeles; Helmhaus, Zurich; Mig- ros Museum für Gegenwartskunst, Zurich; P 74 Gallery, Ljubljana; Message S alon, Zurich and W139, Amsterdam. Image veli-amos.net Jánosh Miháli Hübler TRIGGER STATEMENT

Janos Mihaly Hübler is born in Hungary. He is an artist whose creative practise includes installation, sculpture, design and public art. Currently a research fellow at IFCAR, ZHdK, he holds a doctorate in practice-based research and teaches at the University of West-Hungary. His research interests include collaborative practice in art and architecture.

Image www.hublerjanos.com Sibylle Stamm MODERATION http://www.progr.ch/de/ateliers/sibylle-stamm/321/

Sibylle Stamm supports political activists to take initiatives for the transformation of local conflicts and social justice. A political scientist by training, she has lived and worked in the Middle East for over a decade. Today, she is based in PROGR in Bern, experimenting with artistic methods to channel per-sonal or collective anger and disruption into creative political change projects. She works as a re- searcher, coach, and facilitator with people and organisations who make trouble and break boundaries.

Image Sibylle Stamm Lena Maria Thüring FILM

Lena Maria Thüring is an artist and filmmaker, who lives and works in Basel and Zurich. She received her Master in Fine Arts at the Zurich University of the Arts (ZHdK) in 2014 and is currently teaching at the Art Institute in Basel (FHNW). Her work has been shown in solo exhibitions at the Kunsthaus Baselland (2012) and the Museum für Gegenwartskunst Basel 2013 and in group shows and screenings at the Kunstmuseum Bern, Kunsthalle Basel, Haus der Kulturen Berlin, the Reina Sofia National Museum Madrid in Spain and the Palais de Tokyo in Paris. She received several awards including Swiss Art Award (2008), Manorkunstpreis Basel (2013) and two artist residencies in Paris (2009) and New York (2010).

Image lenamariathuering.ch Notes Future Me (2015) FILM, 16‘ by Lena Maria Thüring

In her work, Thüring approaches the perso- The result is a film that bears the hallmarks nal stories of individuals or groups and their of a music video. The choreographies and environment using various media, such as dramatic scenes staged for the camera burst photography, video or installation. Reflec- onto the screen with a mix of dancelike gra- tions on social systems and their constructi- ce and combativeness, while the soundtrack on within a specific space play an important features the students’ own offscreen voices part in her work, as well the combination of reading their memoirs—a polyphonic verbal memory and space. fabric in the rhythm of the images. Søren Grammel, Museum für Gegenwarts- SYNOPSIS kunst Basel, Switzerland. As part of its Education Projects series, the Museum für Gegenwartskunst invited the artist, Lena Maria Thüring to collaborate with high school students on a new work. She led the students in a workshop in which they wrote their memoirs, from birth to death, producing a series of semi-fictions. Lisa Pedicino & Laura Leuzzi FILM

Lisa Pedicino is an Italian art critic and fre- elance journalist based in Zurich. After an M.A. in contemporary art from La Sapienza University of Rome, she started to work as editor at “ArteeCritica” magazine. She writes for “Kunstbulletin” and is a regular contribu- tor to other art magazines. Since 2015 she is a project coordinator at Pro Helvetia for the cultural exchange programs.

Laura Leuzzi holds a PhD in art history and is also a curator. She is a PDRA on the AHRC funded research project ‘EWVA - European Women’s Video Art in the 70s and 80s’ (Dun- can of Jordanstone College of Art & Design, University of Dundee). She is the author of articles and essays in books and exhibition catalogues. She is the co-editor of REWIN- Image Lisa Pedicino & Laura Leuzzi Notes DItalia - Early Video Art in Italy (John Libbey Publishing, 2015), with Stephen Partridge. to express their hopes to become part of the community, and to give a sense of their contact with lesser known, cultural aspects Unter de Himmel vo Züri (2014) FILM, 20‘ of the dialect (poetry and songs). by Lisa Pedicino & Laura Leuzzi

Speaking and understanding Schwiizer- tüütsch [Swiss German] can be the first and most relevant barrier to integration for immigrants in Switzerland. For the video project, the authors researched this issue through two methodological tools - perfor- mance and interview - to stimulate a deba- te on integration between immigrants and the local community. The presentation will examine how these approaches allow peo- ple to experiment with their own voice in a relatively safe environment: to discuss their attempts and difficulties with the language, Sandra Bühler FILM

Sandra Bühler is a filmmaker and new media artist. In her works, she investigates the com- plexity and dynamics of space and human beings and researches narrative systems and nonlinear storytelling. She studied “Visual Communication” and “New Media Art/Expe- rimental Film” at the University of the Arts Berlin (UdK).

Image Sandra Bühler Notes Humming Earth Society FILM , 20‘ by Sandra Bühler

Jatiwangi is a rural, industrial area in West— promise to uphold Jatiwangis clay culture. Java, the biggest roof tile producer in North East Asia. While foreign investors profit from cheap work forces and replace rooftile factories with new textile industries, villagers might benefit from this new lifestyle. The film describes how a new harmony between the villagers and their soil emerges when the local artists take this change as opportunity to celebrate the emergence of a new cul- ture: Clay-Music! Villagers start to listen to their earth and tune in with their surrounding. A musical exploration echoes how their commodity of roof tiles changes into an inspiring vision. Apparently they will form an orchestra of 5000 musicians to celebrate their collective DISCUSSANTS deploy various media - drawing, object ma- king, installation, moving-images and spoken Everyone present is most welcome to join word-narrative to realise her ideas. the discussion. Additionaly, some have been invited to act as “discussants in-duty” :-) to Kathrin Doppler guarantee lively sessions: Kathrin Doppler heads the FigurenTheater- Festival Basel and works as freelance pro- Chan Wing Sze duction manager. She has been working for Chan Wing Sze is a research assistant at “Haus für elektronische Künste Basel” and Baptist University Hong Kong. She is in- for the international animation film festival terested in questions such as: What does Fantoche. She studied theatre, dance, and “community” mean on a remote island? How religion at the University of Bern, the Univer- does community art function in a “no-man’s- sity of Basel and the Sorbonne in Paris. She land”? also completed a dance training and curated programs for various festivals, among them Anjana Chetty the Musik Open Air festival “das arcs”. Anjana Chetty is a visual artist. Her work is built on everyday rhythms, rituals, literary Mirjam Egloff fictions and psychological research. She is currently enrolled in the Master of Trans- disciplinary Studies at the ZHdK. Her backg- Milenko Lazic round is in fashion design. After she obtained Milenko Lazic is an artist, musician, perfor- her Bachelors degree, she joined the sports- mer, writer, and publisher. His work “Zu- wear giant Adidas in Germany and Shanghai, rich-Syndrom”, published at his publishing working in the design teams of a number of house “Amsel-Verlag” talks about the life sub-brands ranging from commercial street- of an artist in Zurich in the form of short wear to high-end fashion. With an affinity for stories. He orates his texts in “Reading transdisciplinary topics, Mirjam tackles the Performances” with guitar, percussion, lo- paradigm of the Entrepreneurial Self in her op-technic, and vocals. Master thesis, trying to illustrate the con- flicts that this maxim provokes both in body Rada Leu and mind. is born in Sofia, Bulgaria, studied Literature and Film Studies in London and Paris. Follo- Sarah Eschenmoser wing an occupation as a theatre director, she Sarah Eschenmoser is studying Media and began working with a variety of media and Art with focus on theory at Zurich University has recently published two comic books. of Arts. The focus of her current studies is She lives and works in Zurich, where she on the contemporary art scene of China. is currently studying Transdisciplinarity at ZHdK. Ilona Rüegg Nina Tshomba Ilona Rüegg is a visual and conceptual ar- Nina Tshomba is currently enrolled in the tist who likes to intervene in the course of Master Transdisziplinarity Studies. She has events by disrupting, deviating, delaying or a Bachelor in Music and Movement, Zurich eventually anticipating their flow, exploring University of the Arts (ZHdK) and a Bache- the generated time structures in process-ori- lor in International Affairs, University of St. ented projects, photo series and drawings. Gallen. She conceives art as a necessity and ilonaruegg.com a possibility: to deal with personal as well as societal subjects, problems, and phenome- Ferhat Türkoglu na. She understands art as a personal and at Ferhat Türkoglu attended the theatre aca- the same time universal language, a me- demy in Bern. After his education, he con- ans to express, to make visible, to increase tinued to attend singing lessons and was awareness, to provoke, to initiate. After her active in a number of street-dance forma- theoretical studies in economics and politics, tions. Following a series of engagements she wants to pursue performances to cre- in film, theatre, music and media, he now ate an instant impact on the surrounding as feels compelled to connect the variety of his well as on the performer(s), which can lead experience. to something new, in the moment or even permanently. Chow Yik art critic. She has organised exhibitions and Chow Yik grew up in Hong Kong. She stu- festivals around the globe under the name died Visual Cultur at the School of Creative I.D.E.A.S. - Intercultural Dialogues And Ethics Media, City University of Hong Kong, and in Arts and in Sciences since 2008. From Aalto University Helsinki, Finland. Her work 2014 to 2016, she worked as Director of Mu- focuses on topics such as belonging, presen- seum Langmatt (CH) and from 2009 to the ce and recollection. She has been working end of 2013 as Director of the Art School and living in Europe and Asia. Her video esba TALM in Tours (F). From 2002 to the works have been selected for Berlin Talents, end of 2007, she directed Fri-Art, Fribourg Berlinale, and Film di Roma, and she has (CH). She worked among others in Kunsthal- been a UNESCO Aschberg Laureate 2014 at le Bern, Mamco and the Print Room in Gene- the National Studio of Museum of Modern va. She has regularly been publishing articles and Contemporary Art in Seoul. Yik initiated and essays on contemporary art since the a collaborative-curatorial collective “ca- 1990‘s. www.sarahzurcher.com se-open-close (aka c-o-c)” with Yip Kai Chun in 2014.

Sarah Zürcher Sarah Zürcher is an independent curator and JULIA WEBER CONFERENCE CONCEPT MICHAELA LEDESMA CONFERENCE CONCEPT

Julia Weber is a sociologist and artist. In her Michaela Ledesma is a facilitator and prac- research-orientated projects she employs titioner focusing on design and support to photography, text, drawing and audio as innovative, locally-owned peacebuilding means of knowledge production. Her works processes and programs. Through these, focus on the fields of history, memory, body she seeks to support diverse groups to work and labour and transcend the borders of fic- toward positive social change. Over the past tion and documentary. Moreover, she works sixteen years, she has worked with civil so- in the field of art education (FHNW, ZHdK) ciety organizations, governments, as well as and community art. She holds an MA in international and United Nations agencies in Sociology (University of Zurich) and in Fine different conflict and post-conflict environ- Arts (Zurich University of the Arts). ments. She is a co-organizer of howtobuild- peace.org conference and co-founder of howtobuildup.org. ANNEMARIE BUCHER CONFERENCE CONCEPT DOMINIQUE LÄMMLI CONFERENCE CONCEPT

Annemarie Bucher studied art history, ethno- Dominique Lämmli is co-founder/-director logy, and philosophy at Zurich University and of FOA-FLUX. She is a visual artist, philoso- landscape architecture at the Swiss Federal pher, and professor of drawing & painting Institute of Technology in Zurich. She has at Zurich University of the Arts. Her recent also been a research fellow at Harvard Uni- texts on current art developments include: versity. She is currently working as a senior Forthcoming: (2016) Artists Working Rea- lecturer at Zurich University of the Arts and lity. Connecting People, in: Activating Pos- an independent researcher and curator. She sibilities, edited by Him Lo and Dominique is the author of several books and articles Lämmli. (2014) Art in Action: Make People on art, cultural theory, landscape, and theo- Think! (2012) Globalist or Glocalist Views? ry. She has curated several exhibitions, such Taking Preliminary Assumptions Seriously. as “Why make Prints?” and “G59, the First Texts downloadable from foa-flux.net. She National Garden has conceived and run several practice-ba- Exhibition in “Switzerland”. Other current sed projects in collaborative, transdiscipli- work includes an exhibition project on the nary and cultural settings. banana as a transdisciplinary and transcultu- ral phenomenon. She is co-founder/-director of FOA-FLUX. Acknowledgment Conference Team

The conference is conceived and organi- Conference concept by FOA-FLUX (Anne- zed by FOA-FLUX (foa-flux.net) with Zurich marie Bucher and Dominique Lämmli) with University of the Arts (zhdk.ch), and BUILD Julia Weber and Michaela Ledesma (howto- UP (howtobuildup.org), a social enterprise buildup.org). working at the intersection of technology, civic engagement and peacebuilding. Conference organisation by Dominique Lämmli with Julia Weber, Mahroo Movahedi, The conference is part of the Master of Arts Marilyn Umurungi, Olga Alvarez Lenskaya, in Fine Arts module THOUGHT EXCHANGE Sarah Eschenmoser, Yamu Wang. by Dominique Lämmli. The module provides insights into current debates linked to the Conference booklet by FOA-FLUX, FOA-FLUX research. FOA-FLUX is an inde- proof-reading by Rada Leu, Connecting pendent research venture focusing on art in Spaces Hong Kong—Zurich. global contexts. Additionally the conference Exhibition in conference space: Concept and is interlinked with the seminar Art in Action, buildup responsible: Lee Chun Fung. Some MA Transdisciplinary Studies and MA Fine work exhibited by living-museum (Ivana Arts. Lakic). //event Exhibition

//Event Exhibition “Living Together” by Him Lo: Concept and Organisation by Him Lo, FOA-FLUX and Connecting Spaces Hong Kong—Zurich. Buildup responsible: Katja Gläss.

Team for both exhibitions, “Living Together” and Lee Chun Fungs exhibition in conference space: Mahroo Movahedi, Marilyn Umurungi, Olga Alvarez Lenskaya, Sarah Eschenmoser.

Image Him Lo THANK YOU!

FOA-FLUX is grateful for the immense Futhermore, this event would not have been support that made this conference possible. possible without the generous support by the following groups at Zurich University of The heartfelt THANK YOU! goes to anyone the Arts (ZHdK): mentioned above. • Connecting Spaces Hong Kong—Zurich Your contributions, participations, and • Dossier Internationales enthusiasm is key to our in-depth exchange. • International Affaires • International Office • Master of Arts in Transdiciplinary Studies • Master of Arts in Fine Arts • Institute for Contemporary Art Research PROGRAMME FRIDAY, 4 MARCH PROGRAMME SATURDAY, 5 MARCH

Meeting point 1o:45 am, ZHdK, Toni, Meeting point 1o:45 am, ZHdK, Toni, Pfingstweidstrasse 96, Entrance Hall Pfingstweidstrasse 96, Entrance Hall

Start 11 am Start 11 am

LUNCH & INTRO PRESENTATIONS ART & SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS II

WORKHSOP LUNCH

PRESENTATIONS ART & SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS I PRESENTATIONS ART & SOCIAL TRANSFORMATIONS III

OPENING //EVENT: EXHIBITION DISCUSSION: CONNECT and/or STIR

DINNER DINNER

FILMS FILMS

End 11 pm End 11 pm Impressum

Booklet concept, design, production: FOA-FLUX Content: FOA-FLUX and participants Proof-reading: Rada Leu, Connecting Spaces Hong Kong—Zurich

ISBN 978-3-906126-30-2

Downloadable from foa-flux.net/action-art-conference/ Image foa-flux.net